The invention concerns a method for producing a blown glass body, in particular a glass wall or structural component of an electrochemical sensor, e.g. a pH sensor or other ion-sensitive sensor, wherein an immersion tube, through which air or gas can flow, is immersed into a glass melt and subsequently withdrawn to remove an amount of molten glass from the glass melt, wherein the removed glass is blown, by means of air or gas flowing through the immersion tube, into the desired shape of the glass body (referred to as “blowing in” a glass body). The invention also concerns a device for carrying out such a method.
Glass bodies, in particular in the shape of a sphere, a spherical cap or a cylinder have been produced manually by mechanical techniques in glass-blowers' workshops through immersion of a tubular, mostly but not necessarily cylindrical body which forms the above-mentioned immersion tube, into a molten glass mass to absorb an approximately defined amount of liquid glass during subsequent removal of the immersion tube. Via his/her mouth, the glass blower blows air through the immersion tube thereby blowing the glass body to be produced from the retained amount of viscous molten glass. This process requires the skills and experience of a glass blower. Other similar manual methods are also known.
It is the object of the present invention to automate this method.